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Male Androgenetic Alopecia

  • Chapter
Hair Growth and Disorders

Abstract

• Male balding is a common androgen-dependent trait in which there is a progressive decline in the activity and size of scalp hair follicles.

• Male balding can cause significant adverse effects on psychosocial wellbeing in some men.

• The predisposition to male balding is genetically determined and is polygenic in nature.

• Dihydrotestosterone, a 5α-reduced metabolite of testosterone, is the androgen responsible for driving hair loss. The primary target of androgens within the hair follicle is probably the follicular dermal papilla.

• Topical minoxidil lotion and oral finasteride, an inhibitor of type 2 5α-reductase, are the only medical treatments of proven efficacy in male balding. They help to prevent or delay the progression of hair loss and can stimulate some regrowth of hair in some men.

• Redistribution of terminal hair, using surgical techniques such as hair transplantation, can produce effective cosmetic results in selected cases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, S10 2JF, Sheffield, UK

    Andrew Messenger

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  1. Andrew Messenger
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Physiology (CRC), Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 11017 , Berlin, Germany

    Ulrike Blume-Peytavi

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti, 1, 40138 , Bologna, Italy

    Antonella Tosti

  3. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Gloriastrasse 31, 8091 , Zürich, Switzerland

    Ralph M. Trüeb

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© 2008 Springer London

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Messenger, A. (2008). Male Androgenetic Alopecia. In: Blume-Peytavi, U., Tosti, A., Trüeb, R. (eds) Hair Growth and Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-46911-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-46911-7_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-46908-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-46911-7

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